George John Dufek (10 February 1903,
Rockford, Illinois – 10 February 1977,
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
) was an
American naval officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
,
naval aviator, and polar expert. He served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
and in the 1940s and 1950s spent much of his career in the
Antarctic, first with
Admiral Byrd and later as supervisor of U.S. programs in the
South Polar regions.
Rear Admiral Dufek was the director of the
Mariners' Museum
The Mariners' Museum and Park is located in Newport News, Virginia, United States. Designated as America’s ''National Maritime Museum'' by Congress, it is one of the largest maritime museums in North America. The Mariners' Museum Library, cont ...
in
Newport News, Virginia after his retirement from the Navy in 1959.
Background and military career
Born in
Rockford, Illinois, he joined the
Reserve Officer Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
(ROTC) at his local high school and was appointed to the
U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1921. Upon graduation in 1925 he received his ensign's commission and commenced his career aboard the battleship . He was later assigned to the submarine
USS ''S-39'' and was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) in 1928.
In 1932 he entered flight training school at the
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, Florida; after graduating as a naval aviator in 1933 he served as navigator and
executive officer on three different ships. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1935 and assigned to the aircraft carrier
USS ''Saratoga'' in 1938.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Dufek commanded a flight training squadron, served as senior naval aviator in Algeria during the
invasion of North Africa, assisted in the planning for the invasion of Sicily and Salerno and, after his promotion to captain and subsequent reassignment, the invasion of southern France. In September 1944 he assumed command of the
escort carrier , which, on 24 April 1945, along with its escorts, sank the
''U-546'', the last of 13 submarines (11 German and 2 Japanese) sunk by ''Bogue'' during World War II.
During the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
the Navy placed Dufek in command of the
aircraft carrier from 17 January 1951 – 6 May 1952. ''Antietam'' operated off the coast of the Korean peninsula from October 1951 to April 1952 and received four
battle stars
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
.
Dufek was then given command of the naval installation on
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civil ...
in the Pacific and, finally, the
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island
Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) is a naval air station of the United States Navy located on two pieces of land near Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, in Island County, Washington.
The main portion of the base, Ault Field, is about ...
in
Oak Harbor, Washington
Oak Harbor is a city located on Whidbey Island in Island County, Washington, United States. The population was 22,075 at the 2010 census. Oak Harbor was incorporated on May 14, 1915.
History
Oak Harbor - otherwise known as Kla-tole-tsche in t ...
.
Dufek retired from the Navy on 30 June 1955 and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in recognition of his wartime accomplishments the same day. He continued to serve on active duty so he could participate in
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ...
.
Antarctic experience
With Admiral Byrd
In the spring of 1939 Dufek, at this time a lieutenant, requested and received an assignment to Rear Admiral
Richard E. Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...
's third expedition to
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...
, which was officially named the
United States Antarctic Service Expedition
The United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–1941), often referred to as Byrd’s Third Antarctic Expedition, was an expedition jointly sponsored by the United States Navy, State Department, Department of the Interior and The Treasur ...
, where he served as navigator of the venerable , the flagship of the expedition. In recognition of his many hours of exploratory flying over the South Polar continent, Dufek later received the
United States Antarctic Expedition Medal
The United States Antarctic Expedition Medal is a combined military-civilian award that was authorized by the United States Congress on September 24, 1945 under Public Law 185 of the 79th Congress (59 Stat. 536). The award recognizes members of the ...
.
Operation Highjump
After a brief post-war stint in Japan, Dufek was assigned as chief
staff officer to a U.S. Navy-
Coast Guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
task force to establish weather bases in the polar regions. While there he participated in
Operation Highjump, a Naval expedition to Antarctica under the command of Admiral Byrd. He served as commander of the Eastern Group (Task Group 68.3) which consisted of a seaplane tender, a destroyer and a tanker.
During Operation Highjump he made the first flight over the
Thurston Peninsula and later led the rescue of six survivors of a crash of another flight (named ''George 1'') over the same area.
He returned to Washington D.C. briefly, but by 1947 was back in the Antarctic, this time commanding a task force sent to supply existing weather stations and to establish new ones near the Pole.
Operation Deepfreeze
In 1954 Dufek joined a special Antarctic planning group preparing for the Navy's
Operation Deep Freeze
Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ...
, a scientific polar research expedition. When planning was complete Dufek was given command of Task Force 43 which, with more than 80 officers and 1000 enlisted men, three
ice-breakers, and three
cargo ships, was charged with
logistics
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
and support for the expedition. Dufek's first flagship for the operation was the attack cargo ship
USS ''Arneb''. He later transferred his flag to the icebreaker
USS ''Glacier'' and was on board the ''Glacier'' when she completed a circumnavigation of the Antarctic continent later in the expedition.
Among other accomplishments, the task force established bases on
Ross Island and in
Little America, and on October 31, 1956,
[ (Reference: ''Aviation Year by Year,'' ]Bill Gunston
Bill Gunston (1 March 1927 – 1 June 2013) was a British aviation and military author. He flew with Britain's Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948, and after pilot training became a flying instructor. He spent most of his adult life doing resear ...
, ed. London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
: Amber Books Limited, 2001. Dorling Kindersley
Dorling Kindersley Limited (branded as DK) is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages.
It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media co ...
editions: , .) Admiral Dufek and a crew of six,
having flown on a ski equipped
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
R4D-5
Skytrain named ''Que Sera Sera'', became the first Americans to set foot at the South Pole and to plant the American flag, and the first men to land on the pole from the air. (''Que Sera Sera'' is preserved at the
National Naval Aviation Museum
The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
Founded in 1962 and moved to its cur ...
in
Pensacola, Florida.)
On November 28, 1957, Dufek was present with a US
congressional delegation during a change of command ceremony held at McMurdo Sound.
After Admiral Byrd's death, Dufek was appointed to succeed him as supervisor of U.S. programs in the South Polar Regions.
Retirement and death
Admiral Dufek fully retired from the Navy in 1959. He died in 1977, on his 74th birthday.
Namesakes
Antarctic features
Dufek Coast,
Dufek Head Dufek Head () is an ice-covered headland northeast of Tyree Head in southern Ross Island. The headland rises to at the east side of the terminus of Aurora Glacier. It was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (2000) in association wi ...
,
Dufek Massif
Dufek Massif, Augusto Pinochet Massif or Santa Teresita Massif is a rugged, largely snow-covered massif long, standing west of the Forrestal Range in the northern part of the Pensacola Mountains. It was discovered and photographed on January 13, 1 ...
, and
Dufek Mountain Dufek may refer to:
* 3781 Dufek, a minor planet named after George Dufek
* Dufek Coast in Antarctica, named after U.S. Rear Admiral George J. Dufek
* Dufek Head, a headland in Antarctica
* Dufek Massif
Dufek Massif, Augusto Pinochet Massif or Sa ...
were named in his honor.
Awards
Additional Awards and Honors
* Golden Plate Award,
American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...
, 1961
Dates of rank
*Midshipman – 16 August 1921
*Ensign – 4 June 1925
*Lieutenant (junior grade) – 4 June 1928
*Lieutenant – 30 June 1935
*Lieutenant Commander – 1 August 1939
*Commander – 1 August 1942
*Captain – 20 July 1943
*Rear Admiral, Retired – 30 June 1955
Bibliography
Books by George John Dufek:
* 1957: ''Operation Deepfreeze.''
New York:
Harcourt, Brace. .
* 1959: ''Through the Frozen Frontier: The Exploration of Antarctica.'' Harcourt, Brace. .
* 1969: ''Rear Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd: A Biography.'' Harcourt, Brace and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science,
The College of William & Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...
.
References
External links
*
George J. Dufek Papersat
Syracuse University Library Special Collections Research Center
Guardian angel to the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dufek, George J.
1903 births
1977 deaths
People from Rockford, Illinois
United States Naval Academy alumni
United States Naval Aviators
United States Navy personnel of World War II
United States Navy personnel of the Korean War
Aviators from Illinois
American explorers
Explorers of Antarctica
United States Navy rear admirals
Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Recipients of the Legion of Merit
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Military personnel from Illinois
South Pole